San Martin is celebrated in Venice on 11 November. This celebration has a very long tradition, dating back to the foundation in 1540 of the church dedicated to the saint.
In Venetian schools, children are taught this legend about San Martino:
“On a rainy and cold November day, Martino went out on horseback covered with his cloak. Along the road he saw a poor man, half-naked and staggering from the cold. Martino, having no money with him, took pity on him and cut his cloak in half, giving part of it to the poor man. Shortly afterwards it stopped raining and the sun came out, warming the air as if it were summer. Hence the name ‘San Martino’s Summer’, where the beautiful sunny days of November are still remembered today. When night came, Martin dreamt of Jesus with his cloak in his hand, thanking him for his gesture of compassion.”
On 11 November, children wear paper crowns and walk around Venice together with their parents or teachers. They enter shops banging pans and ladles and sing this nursery rhyme in Venetian dialect to receive chocolates and sweets from shopkeepers:
San Martin xe ‘ndà in sofita
A trovar ea so novissa
E a so novissa no ghe gera
San Martin casca par tera
E col nostro sachetin
Cari signori xe San Martin
Fora el soldin!
Venetian pastry shops display in their windows the delicious ‘San Martini’, sweets made of short pastry and covered with icing, chocolate and candies, representing the Saint on horseback as he prepares to cut his cloak to offer it to the poor man.
